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LAB 2 Gaussian Beam Profiling and Propagation

(PRE-LAB QUESTIONS)
(Total: 20 points)
Please staple your answer sheets.

Q1. (4 points) A 1-mW He-Ne laser produces a Gaussian beam of wavelength

633nm , and a beam waist of W0 0.05mm .
Determine the angular divergence of the beam, its depth of focus, and the
beam diameter at z=3.5x105km (approximately the distance to the moon).
What is the radius of curvature of the wavefront at z=0,z=z0,z=2z0?
Q2. (8 points) Given the same laser as used in Q1 above,
Plot the irradiance distribution at the beam waist as a function of radial
distance from the beam center, marking the beam width and the standarddeviation width on the plot.
Calculate the central irradiance at the beam waist.
How does the central irradiance vary with z? What is the ratio of the central
irradiance at the Rayleigh range to that at the beam waist?
At the Rayleigh range, determine the percentage of power contained with a
.
circle of radius r W
0

Q3.

z0

The beam radius of a Gaussian beam (W) is determined at two positions

separated by 1500mm. At the first position the beam radius is 0.3535mm (W1),
and at the second position it is 1.061mm (W2). 633nm .
(8 points) Given W1, W2 and z, calculate the beam waist (w0) and the axial
distance along the beam from the first measured beam position (W1) to the
beam waist, i.e. z1, using the classical profiling algorithm provided in the
lecture.

OPTICS 471B LAB 2 Gaussian Beam Profiling and Imaging